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Member Spotlight

Mayer Networks has grown tremendously since it began nine years ago. What started out as an idea of an ambitious college student has turned into a large IT consulting firm with three locations, 12 employees and more than 200 valued clients.

James Mayer started Mayer Networks in December 2006 in the garage of his home in Carbondale, armed with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a Microsoft certification as a Systems Administrator with Security specialization.

“We originally started with just onsite IT consulting and network support such as servers and workstations,” Mayer said. “That is still our core at this time, but we have added plenty of other services, including hosting, disaster recovery, Web site design and more.”

It wasn’t long before Mayer needed to hire a tech, followed by the need for more office space. He found a small office space in downtown Carbondale, where he (and his tech) worked for two years.

Then came new technicians and more services, and Mayer found himself once again looking for office space. When he found a former bank for lease at 608 Eastgate Street in Carbondale, he immediately saw the potential in the property.

“We chose the location we have now because it contains a bank vault, which we have outfitted as our Tier 4 data center. Our data center is surrounded by 21 inches of reinforced concrete, with redundant fiber Internet connections, a dedicated power supply with a backup generator, and dedicated air-conditioning,” he said. “And our redundancy doesn’t stop there. Every mechanism in our data center is completely redundant … to ensure that everything from networking, routing and our servers are available regardless of hardware or software failure.

“All of our infrastructure is completely redundant – servers, switches, power, routers, storage area network devices, etc. Allowing customers to use our data center for a variety of reasons saves them money because they no longer need to pay for their own software, hardware, etc. They get to use part of a Tier 4 data center and pay for only what they need and nothing more. They don’t need to manage their own equipment or pay for costly monthly contracts.”

“The hosting service, aka the cloud, has become very popular. We have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars creating and outfitting our very own Tier 4 data center so other businesses could use it as their own private cloud or hosting service and disaster recovery site,” Mayer said. “Cloud Solutions is provided by our own Tier 4 data center. The idea of hosting for our clients was simple – there are many very small businesses around Southern Illinois that have a need for large-company technology but don’t want the expense. So, we let them use part of our large-company technology.”

Mayer Networks focuses on disaster recovery and business continuity.

“We can replicate any virtual or physical server every five to 15 minutes of every day. This means we receive somewhere between 380 and 420 backups a day. In the event a server goes down, we have numerous ways to keep our client functioning and ensure their data is safe and their business can go back to work quickly,” Mayer said.

“A client of ours has approximately 35 servers. One of the servers went down because it was older hardware that they were going to replace. We were replicating this server every five minutes. When the server went down, our automated systems alerted us to the issue. We have a VPN (virtual private network) linking the customer site with our data center. In less than 10 minutes we were able to turn on an exact copy of the server that crashed, and, because of the VPN, place that server in their network from our office and allow everyone to return to work. That’s great for disaster recovery and business continuity, and that is exactly what our clients pay for.”

Mayer also offers Web design services.

“Mayer Networks never offered Web design in the past. It’s a difficult area to be a part of. I thought, ‘Well, I’m successful on the network-support side, maybe it’s time we try Web design,’” Mayer said. “We also had several clients who wished we would handle Web design so they could keep all of their IT needs in one place.”

Mayer Networks is still true to its core – IT consulting and network support.

“IT consulting is where I, as the lead consultant, interact with clients to show them what technology can do for their business. Using technology is about saving money, time, and having a competitive edge. We spend time with our clients to get to know them and see how they run their businesses. The more we learn about how they function as a business, the better we are at consulting and maximizing technology to benefit their businesses,” Mayer said.

“Network support includes firewalls, routers, switches, servers, desktop computers, and a ton more. We provide support to our clients on many different devices and many different software packages, all to ensure they can keep functioning and growing their businesses.

“Most of what Mayer Networks does these days is preventative maintenance and support. We use advanced software that not only predicts issues, but can address and correct issues for us automatically ‘behind the scenes,’ so our clients are not disrupted.”

Mayer Networks employs gifted technicians that have a history in the IT field, each with a specific background of support.

“Anyone who has worked for Mayer Networks will tell you that they have learned way more than they thought they would. It’s because of the training and having to manage more than 100 businesses and all of their IT needs. Technicians who work for IT firms such as ours are exposed to so many new and different things every day,” Mayer said. “When we hire, we look for team members who have drive, people who live and breathe this and actually love it.

“I love IT and I want my staff members to love it, too,” he said. “It’s the never-ending puzzle and that needs to be figured out.”

Mayer Networks does offer continued education to team members through regular training sessions after hours.

“We want to ensure that our team members grow along with our clients,” he said. “Many of our technicians come to us with certifications and some gain certifications while they’re a part of our team. We look for dedicated individuals who love information technology. Our team members do not treat their employment as just a job, but a chance to learn and grow and assist our customers with every need imaginable.”

For more than a decade now, James and Mayer Networks have helped many businesses regularly without their presence being known, including larger businesses and organizations such as Southern Illinois University, Community Health and Emergency Services, Heartland Region Medical Center, and Jackson County Courthouse, as well as smaller businesses and organizations such as The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, Larry’s House of Cakes, Oliver & Associates, Diederich Insurance, and TJ’s Fine Jewelry, just to name a few.

“One of our clients said it best, when he told me, ‘I want to pay you and never see you. If I pay you for preventative maintenance, and I don’t have issues, then I know you are doing your job,’” Mayer said.

James and Mayer Networks have consistently helped Southern Illinois through numerous sponsorship and local community activities such as fundraising events for Kiwanis, The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, Marion and Carbondale chambers of commerce, SIH Cancer Foundation, and 100 Men that Cook, and fundraising for Carbondale Pheonix Futbol Club and Carbondale Soccer Inc.

January was the eleventh month in a row that unemployment rates fell in every metro area in the state compared to a year ago, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This inaugural edition includes articles on the most timely of issues: a new administration in Springfield; fracking and how it affects you; infrastructure funding for roads, rail and waterways; healthcare mandates; international trade; and worker's compensation, the minimum wage, and other human resources challenges.

The 94th annual Marion Chamber of Commerce Auction & Awards Banquet will be held on Friday, Jan. 16, at The Pavilion of the City of Marion. The event will feature a social hour, sponsored by Mayer Networks, that begins at 5:30; dinner, beginning at 7 p.m.; award presentations including the Business/Industry of Year Award presentation to AISIN Light Metals; a wine pull, also sponsored by Mayer Networks; and a Diamond Drop, which is a fun event where participants can win thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce and its exclusive program coordinator, Affordable Gas & Electric (AGE), announced they will begin negotiations for electricity and natural gas contract renewals for members who are part of the Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Bulk Electricity & Natural Gas Buying Group.

The Williamson County Airport Authority Board of Commissioners held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for construction of a new Airline Terminal at Williamson County Regional Airport on Friday, October 31 at 11:30 a.m.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce September Membership Luncheon was held on Tuesday, September 9 at noon at the 2ND Battalion - 130TH Infantry Regimental Armory at 11427 Minuteman Road in Marion, Illinois.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce is working to help our community become more competitive online. In order for us to achieve this, we need to be sure all of the community businesses are setup properly and ready to broadcast. Each voting member of the Marion Chamber of Commerce has been sent a username and password to access/change/update their business and advertising services provided as part of their membership with the Marion Chamber.

The first Business Before Hours event was held on Thursday, July 24. More than 30 people participated in the inaugural event. Attendees participated in a "Six Degrees of Separation" networking activity, enjoyed breakfast provided by Heartland Regional Medical Center and listened to a presentation about Disaster Recovery by James Mayer with Mayer Networks.

Volkswagen of Marion, part of the Ike Family of Dealerships, celebrated the start of construction on their new facility. The ground breaking ceremony was held on Monday, July 14 at 11 am at 4403 W. DeYoung, Marion, IL 62959.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting will be held at 8 a.m. at Heartland Regional Medical Center. more info...

04/07/15

Competitive Energy Forum To Be Hosted At Cedarhurst Center for the Arts

On April 7th, 2015, State Representatives, Mayors and Village Presidents, County Officials, Chamber of Commerce Directors, and small and large energy users and buyers from throughout Illinois are expected to converge in Mt. Vernon, IL at Cedarhurst Center For The Arts. The purpose: a forum to discuss competitive energy in Illinois. more info...

The 7th Annual Southern Illinois Men’s Conference begins Saturday, April 18, 2015, 7 a.m. at John A. Logan College in Carterville. more info...

04/21/15

Marion Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee meeting

The Membership Committee meet on the third Tuesday of each month at noon. The location of the meeting varies. Please call the Marion Chamber of Commerce to join the Membership Committee, inquire about the location of the next meeting or if you have any questions.more info...

04/23/15

Business Before Hours Program - Russell Williams presents John Maxwell's Leadership Principles

The Marion Chamber of Commerce will hold its Business Before Hours event on Thursday, April 23, 2015, at Heartland Regional Medical Center, Classroom 1.

The event will begin at 7:45 a.m. with a free breakfast, provided by Heartland Regional Medical Center, and networking, followed by a presentation by Russell Williams with Brehm Foundation on John Maxwell's Leadership Principles. more info...

04/23/15

Business After Hours Program: VW of Marion

The April Marion Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours program will be held on Thursday, April 23 from 4-7 p.m.at Volkswagen of Marion.more info...

04/30/15

Gateway to Success - a mock job fair

The Federal Prison in Marion would like to take this opportunity to invite your business or organization to participate in the “Gateway to Success," a mock job fair on Thursday, April 30, 2015. The day will start in the visiting room at the Federal Prison Camp. more info...

Member Spotlight

Mayer Networks has grown tremendously since it began nine years ago. What started out as an idea of an ambitious college student has turned into a large IT consulting firm with three locations, 12 employees and more than 200 valued clients.

James Mayer started Mayer Networks in December 2006 in the garage of his home in Carbondale, armed with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a Microsoft certification as a Systems Administrator with Security specialization.

“We originally started with just onsite IT consulting and network support such as servers and workstations,” Mayer said. “That is still our core at this time, but we have added plenty of other services, including hosting, disaster recovery, Web site design and more.”

It wasn’t long before Mayer needed to hire a tech, followed by the need for more office space. He found a small office space in downtown Carbondale, where he (and his tech) worked for two years.

Then came new technicians and more services, and Mayer found himself once again looking for office space. When he found a former bank for lease at 608 Eastgate Street in Carbondale, he immediately saw the potential in the property.

“We chose the location we have now because it contains a bank vault, which we have outfitted as our Tier 4 data center. Our data center is surrounded by 21 inches of reinforced concrete, with redundant fiber Internet connections, a dedicated power supply with a backup generator, and dedicated air-conditioning,” he said. “And our redundancy doesn’t stop there. Every mechanism in our data center is completely redundant … to ensure that everything from networking, routing and our servers are available regardless of hardware or software failure.

“All of our infrastructure is completely redundant – servers, switches, power, routers, storage area network devices, etc. Allowing customers to use our data center for a variety of reasons saves them money because they no longer need to pay for their own software, hardware, etc. They get to use part of a Tier 4 data center and pay for only what they need and nothing more. They don’t need to manage their own equipment or pay for costly monthly contracts.”

“The hosting service, aka the cloud, has become very popular. We have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars creating and outfitting our very own Tier 4 data center so other businesses could use it as their own private cloud or hosting service and disaster recovery site,” Mayer said. “Cloud Solutions is provided by our own Tier 4 data center. The idea of hosting for our clients was simple – there are many very small businesses around Southern Illinois that have a need for large-company technology but don’t want the expense. So, we let them use part of our large-company technology.”

Mayer Networks focuses on disaster recovery and business continuity.

“We can replicate any virtual or physical server every five to 15 minutes of every day. This means we receive somewhere between 380 and 420 backups a day. In the event a server goes down, we have numerous ways to keep our client functioning and ensure their data is safe and their business can go back to work quickly,” Mayer said.

“A client of ours has approximately 35 servers. One of the servers went down because it was older hardware that they were going to replace. We were replicating this server every five minutes. When the server went down, our automated systems alerted us to the issue. We have a VPN (virtual private network) linking the customer site with our data center. In less than 10 minutes we were able to turn on an exact copy of the server that crashed, and, because of the VPN, place that server in their network from our office and allow everyone to return to work. That’s great for disaster recovery and business continuity, and that is exactly what our clients pay for.”

Mayer also offers Web design services.

“Mayer Networks never offered Web design in the past. It’s a difficult area to be a part of. I thought, ‘Well, I’m successful on the network-support side, maybe it’s time we try Web design,’” Mayer said. “We also had several clients who wished we would handle Web design so they could keep all of their IT needs in one place.”

Mayer Networks is still true to its core – IT consulting and network support.

“IT consulting is where I, as the lead consultant, interact with clients to show them what technology can do for their business. Using technology is about saving money, time, and having a competitive edge. We spend time with our clients to get to know them and see how they run their businesses. The more we learn about how they function as a business, the better we are at consulting and maximizing technology to benefit their businesses,” Mayer said.

“Network support includes firewalls, routers, switches, servers, desktop computers, and a ton more. We provide support to our clients on many different devices and many different software packages, all to ensure they can keep functioning and growing their businesses.

“Most of what Mayer Networks does these days is preventative maintenance and support. We use advanced software that not only predicts issues, but can address and correct issues for us automatically ‘behind the scenes,’ so our clients are not disrupted.”

Mayer Networks employs gifted technicians that have a history in the IT field, each with a specific background of support.

“Anyone who has worked for Mayer Networks will tell you that they have learned way more than they thought they would. It’s because of the training and having to manage more than 100 businesses and all of their IT needs. Technicians who work for IT firms such as ours are exposed to so many new and different things every day,” Mayer said. “When we hire, we look for team members who have drive, people who live and breathe this and actually love it.

“I love IT and I want my staff members to love it, too,” he said. “It’s the never-ending puzzle and that needs to be figured out.”

Mayer Networks does offer continued education to team members through regular training sessions after hours.

“We want to ensure that our team members grow along with our clients,” he said. “Many of our technicians come to us with certifications and some gain certifications while they’re a part of our team. We look for dedicated individuals who love information technology. Our team members do not treat their employment as just a job, but a chance to learn and grow and assist our customers with every need imaginable.”

For more than a decade now, James and Mayer Networks have helped many businesses regularly without their presence being known, including larger businesses and organizations such as Southern Illinois University, Community Health and Emergency Services, Heartland Region Medical Center, and Jackson County Courthouse, as well as smaller businesses and organizations such as The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, Larry’s House of Cakes, Oliver & Associates, Diederich Insurance, and TJ’s Fine Jewelry, just to name a few.

“One of our clients said it best, when he told me, ‘I want to pay you and never see you. If I pay you for preventative maintenance, and I don’t have issues, then I know you are doing your job,’” Mayer said.

James and Mayer Networks have consistently helped Southern Illinois through numerous sponsorship and local community activities such as fundraising events for Kiwanis, The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, Marion and Carbondale chambers of commerce, SIH Cancer Foundation, and 100 Men that Cook, and fundraising for Carbondale Pheonix Futbol Club and Carbondale Soccer Inc.

January was the eleventh month in a row that unemployment rates fell in every metro area in the state compared to a year ago, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This inaugural edition includes articles on the most timely of issues: a new administration in Springfield; fracking and how it affects you; infrastructure funding for roads, rail and waterways; healthcare mandates; international trade; and worker's compensation, the minimum wage, and other human resources challenges.

The 94th annual Marion Chamber of Commerce Auction & Awards Banquet will be held on Friday, Jan. 16, at The Pavilion of the City of Marion. The event will feature a social hour, sponsored by Mayer Networks, that begins at 5:30; dinner, beginning at 7 p.m.; award presentations including the Business/Industry of Year Award presentation to AISIN Light Metals; a wine pull, also sponsored by Mayer Networks; and a Diamond Drop, which is a fun event where participants can win thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce and its exclusive program coordinator, Affordable Gas & Electric (AGE), announced they will begin negotiations for electricity and natural gas contract renewals for members who are part of the Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Bulk Electricity & Natural Gas Buying Group.

The Williamson County Airport Authority Board of Commissioners held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for construction of a new Airline Terminal at Williamson County Regional Airport on Friday, October 31 at 11:30 a.m.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce September Membership Luncheon was held on Tuesday, September 9 at noon at the 2ND Battalion - 130TH Infantry Regimental Armory at 11427 Minuteman Road in Marion, Illinois.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce is working to help our community become more competitive online. In order for us to achieve this, we need to be sure all of the community businesses are setup properly and ready to broadcast. Each voting member of the Marion Chamber of Commerce has been sent a username and password to access/change/update their business and advertising services provided as part of their membership with the Marion Chamber.

The first Business Before Hours event was held on Thursday, July 24. More than 30 people participated in the inaugural event. Attendees participated in a "Six Degrees of Separation" networking activity, enjoyed breakfast provided by Heartland Regional Medical Center and listened to a presentation about Disaster Recovery by James Mayer with Mayer Networks.

Volkswagen of Marion, part of the Ike Family of Dealerships, celebrated the start of construction on their new facility. The ground breaking ceremony was held on Monday, July 14 at 11 am at 4403 W. DeYoung, Marion, IL 62959.